


Hiding Out

by justanotherfangirlwriting



Series: We’re All the Family We’ve Got [6]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Codependency, Dealing With Loss, Gen, Romantic relationships are only hinted at, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-17 23:46:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18108965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanotherfangirlwriting/pseuds/justanotherfangirlwriting
Summary: It’s not easy for the them to be separated. With Isobel gone Max and Michael handle it the same way but also differently.





	1. Cave

**Author's Note:**

> This story is unbeta’d so there are bound to be spelling errors. I will fix them later if I find them.

It’s been 2 weeks since Isobel went back into her pod, and Max has spent most of it either at home doing research with her or Michael, or at the cave doing research by himself and talking to Isobel. Liz first overheard him talking to her when she first realised he was coming here, she was coming to check on any chance but found him instead, Liz decided to leave because it was a private moment, but not before she heard him talking. He was mainly telling her about things she was missing, avoiding any mention that he’s Noah’s prime suspect in her “disappearance”, even though they told him that she was in rehab. But usually he tells her pointless things that Liz thought fitted with Isobel’s life, her brunch club, society newsletters, etc.

 

Today was a hard day, he was brought into question by one of his deputy friends, and questioned by lawyers. Kyle called Liz because he saw Max coming into when he came to visit his mother. Liz wasn’t allowed in the interrogation room but she stood outside pacing, Max was trying to stay calm but she noticed some of the lights flickering, no one paid attention to that because it was minor, but she knew. Max just took it because it was Noah and he promised Isobel to keep an eye on him. After the interrogation, Max was dismissed and he left the station, not before telling Liz a lie saying that he was okay.

 

He wasn’t okay, hasn’t been since Isobel went into stasis. Michael was doing better than Max, but even he was getting more irritated that they were no where near finding a cure for Isobel. He spends most his days at the Wild Pony in a booth writing notes and calculations. Maria tells her he doesn’t even drink his drink he just sits there and write.

 

The boys were definitely falling apart, but Liz had to focus on her research. But right now she was driving up to the cave. Because she knew a certain alien, or aliens since Michael has started to join Max, might be. But when she arrived at the cave Max was alone. He wasn’t reading this time. He was just sitting in front of Isobel’s pod, cross legged, not saying anything. She sometimes wonders when he gets this quiet if he’s talking to her. Michael did say that the two of them shared some type of psychic bond.

 

Liz stands in the back for a minute and just watched him. He looked so little, and so lost. She didn’t know what to do, except let him grieve and worry and work. Because it’s what keeps him going, the idea that Isobel will be back.

 

“Hiding out?”

 

Her voice made him snap out of his mind, but he didn’t turn his head, the only reason she knew she had his attention was the way he straighten up a bit.

 

“Everything okay?” He asked her, avoiding her initial question, this is the first time she’s made herself known to him. Usually she waits until he’s gone to come and check on Isobel. Liz figured out she could get vital readings on Isobel if she weakened the pod just a bit, with a small amount of silver. Things were still the same, Isobel was still sick and dying, but sometimes her vitals would spike that’s how Liz knew it was working.

 

“I just came to check on Isobel.”

 

She takes her tools out and sets it up next to Max. They’ve been tiptoeing around each other for a while now. Even when they research they do it in silence. She use to be able to talk to Max without an issue, but so much has changed and happened that it just wasn’t possible to do that now. She sees his eyes when he looks at her, he’s not mad at her but there is something in it. Michael’s words always rings in her head everything she’s alone with Max.

 

All he ever did was love you. Liz sighed,

 

”When was the last time you slept Max? And don’t bullshit me because you look like hell.”

 

“I’ll sleep when we make some progress. I take naps here and there during the day, but I haven’t slept through the night since that night.”

 

“Max we talked about this, we said it wasn’t going to be an overnight thing.”

 

“I know Liz but I just can’t sit around and do nothing. Every time I’m in town people are looking at me wondering where my sister is, and if I had something to do with it. Isobel Evans just doesn’t up and leave.”

 

“You have nothing to do with that Max. You know that.”

 

“I know that. But I blame myself, because I just didn’t see her. I knew she wasn’t okay but I was too self involve to notice what’s been happening with her, even 10 years ago.”

 

Max would blame himself for global warming if he could, Liz noticed, but she doesn’t but in even though she wants to say that he’s not the one who made Isobel do what she did. And that it’s not his fault she’s sick.

 

“We were teenagers Max. Everyone was self involve, it doesn’t mean we’re bad people. Just kids.”

 

Silent again, sometimes it was their friend and sometimes it wasn’t. Right now it was a friend. Because it gave Liz time to work and Max to gather his thoughts. She could feel him watching her, even if she busied herself, his eyes were watching her as she examined Isobel’s pod. He didn’t ask her what she was doing, which makes her theory of him probably communicating with Isobel almost true.

 

“Sometimes I wished I didn’t love her as much as I do. Her and Michael, if anything happens to them I don’t think I could survive it. Now she’s here, leaving Michael and me alone. I know it’s not her fault and I know you said I should forgive and I have. But—,”

 

“You’re still angry.” Liz adds, not a question. Because she knows how he feels. Knowing what she knows about Rosa she wasn’t angry at her anymore. But there was a piece of her heart that would always be angry at her for leaving her.

 

Even if she didn’t die, Rosa was planning to leave, without her. But Liz choses not to dwell at those memories. Since Isobel went into stasis, Liz has been remembering better things about Rosa. Like the first concert she went to with her how she watch Rosa rush the stage then they are tacos and burgers together in the diner. Because those were the memories that she wanted to remember.

 

Unlike Max and Isobel she didn’t have a physical bond with her sister. So she couldn’t image what Max was feeling right now.

 

“You’ll survive Max, you have too.” She turned to him now letting her machine analyse the pod.

 

“Because you have a life still and you’re here. You just have to hope and believe that she’ll be back. But for now you have to be here, for your sake, and Michael’s.”

 

“Michael hasn’t been back to his trailer in a week.” Max says, Liz figures, she went back to ask him if she could see his secret bunker a few times but he wasn’t there.

 

“Is he staying with you?” Max nods,

 

“At first we just fell asleep because we were looking at everything we could find on the web, anything that might help. But then it just became a normal thing. It’s been a long time since Michael and I haven’t argued, but what’s happening to Iz, really puts things into perspective.”

 

She wants to take his hand, but she decides not too, Max was already a pool of emotions, she didn’t want to add anymore confusion. Ever since they got back from Texas things changed in the way she looked at Max. She didn’t know what it was but her emotions were always confusing when it came to him. But she did know she was less afraid of what he could do.

 

But right now he needs her to figure out a way to help his sister and that’s it.


	2. Wild Pony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter is unbeta’d so I’m sorry for any grammar mistakes. I’ll fix it if I see it.

__Maria sighs as she starts her shift at the bar and she sees Michael Guerin back in his, what happens to be, regular booth. Books opened everywhere and scattered notes, Michael was never as focus as he was right now. He’s been like this for two weeks and he doesn’t say anything just scribbles and reads until they close or Evans comes and gets him. She had no idea what was happening but she knew Isobel was sick. That’s what she heard Kyle tell his mom because Noah Bracken seems to think Max Evans is the reason why his wife is “missing”.

 

“Early aren’t you Guer?”

 

He looks up at her for the first time since he started sitting here.

 

“Hey Luca can’t talk but do you have anymore yellow pads,”

 

“Not a supply store Guerin.”

 

“Right sorry” he says, Maria sighs, “I’ll go see in the back.” Michael gives her a smile then he goes back to his notes, which looks like gibberish to her, but she’s always known Michael was smarter than what most people thought.

 

Alex didn’t know why he didn’t think to check the bar first. Michael hasn’t been at his place every time he went to see him. He had to ask him if what his father was saying was the truth. He just didn’t know how or if it was even true. The Wild Pony was seemingly a regular hang for Michael so he felt like an idiot for not checking here. He walks in and sees Michael talking to Maria, who looked worried as she shakes her head at something he says and hands him a yellow legal pad and pats his shoulder before heading back to the bar.

 

Alex made a B-Line to the bar, Maria sees him coming and smiles and already has his drink poured into a glass before he could sit.

 

“Alex Manes where have you been?”

 

He rolls his eye, “You don’t have to say my full name every time I see you.”

 

“It just sound better.” She says smiling. He waits a few seconds before he decides to ask about Michael. “Say, what’s up with Guerin?” Alex ask, trying to sound casual.

 

Maria just shrugs,

 

“I don’t know, he’s been sitting there almost all day everyday until Evans comes and gets him.”

 

Alex was about to go up to him when the bar door opened and came in Kyle, his eyes searching for someone and it finally landed on Michael. Alex was even more confused because he never thought he’d see Kyle and Michael interact.

 

“Now that’s weirder,” Maria says looking at them too.

 

Michael was buried in a medical journal that he “borrowed” from Liz’s lab at the hospital when he felt someone sit across from him.

 

“Can I help you with something Valenti?”

Kyle Valenti was not a face he wanted to see right now, or ever really. But since their lives seem to be in his and Liz’s hands what could he do? Well he could avoid him as much as possible, but even that was a challenge since small town Roswell made it everyone’s business to stay small town, even with all the tourist, townies still know each other.

 

“What are you working on?” He asks, clearly ignoring the annoyance in Michael’s voice.

 

“Well I’m trying to figure something out to help Isobel, but so far? nothing.” Michael didn’t know why he was telling Valenti anything, he didn’t owe him anything and it’s not like he was Liz who could shed light on his research and even he didn’t trust her that much, for Isobel and Max’s sake he was being cooperative, but he just wanted to be left alone from questions by the two of them.

 

“I thought you guys put her—,” Michael gave Kyle a ‘shh’ look.

 

“I thought she was safely in that rehab center.” He changed his words.

 

“For now, but even we don’t know how long that’ll last.”

 

Talking in code was clearly not working for Kyle because he moved closer to Michael and lowered his voice.

 

“Liz said that your pods kept you safe for 50 years, shouldn’t that be an indication that she’s safe?”

 

“It also wiped our memories of our past. What if she comes out and doesn’t remember Max and I?” Michael leaned back and sighed.

 

Michael tried not to think about it, ever since they left the cave that night. He tried to think that when Isobel came out she’d be herself and that she’d remember them, no matter what. But it’s always in the back of his head now. He knows Max is thinking about it too. That’s why he always goes to see her. To talk to her and make sure she doesn’t forget them.

 

“Liz wants to see you and Evans tomorrow at the lab. She thinks she might have something. It’s not 100% yet but she has a theory and she needs you both.”

 

He still wasn’t comfortable with Liz doing test on him and Max, or that Valenti knew, but right now Isobel was the person that mattered so if he had to be a lab rat for a cure for her then so be it.

 

He was done hiding out in his research, it clearly wasn’t helping. But maybe doing something might.

 

Kyle leaves after Michael says he’ll be there. But not before going up to his friends who has been starring at them since Kyle sat down next to him. He catches Maria’s eye who gives him a “What the hell was that” look and then Alex for a moment but he couldn’t get a read on him because Alex was talking to Kyle. He was good at reading lips, he was very familiar with Alex’s and he caught “what” and “Guerin” so he was definitely asking him about him.

 

He hasn’t spoken to Alex since the drive in and right now he couldn’t even focus about his whatever relationship with Alex because of everything that’s been happening. But soon he’d have to stop hiding out from him as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think :)


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